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Stoyan Mandanzhiev is the True 2020 World Champion of Poker

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Stoyan Mandanzhiev

Next month, the 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event will crown the “World Champion of Poker.” However, there is one person that is claiming that he is already the world champion. Stoyan Mandanzhiev won the 2020 WSOP Online Main Event and many presumed he was the 2020 WSOP World Champion.

The announcement of a 2020 WSOP Main Event has stirred controversy as many, including Mandanzhiev contend the world champion is already crowned.

Stoyan Mandanzhiev Claims He Has Already Won the Main Event

If you have been following the news surrounding the 2020 WSOP Main Event on Twitter, you have probably seen weird posts with different poker players or pros claiming that they have won an event they have not.

These tweets have all come after Stoyan Mandanzhiev laid claim to having won the 2020 WSOP Main Event after he won the WSOP Online Main Event back in September. He gives evidence of this claim in the form of a certificate that he received from the WSOP along with his bracelet.

If you look at some of the promotional material leading up to the online Main Event, you’d get the impression that the winner would be the World Champion of Poker. However, the WSOP, Daniel Negreanu, and GGPoker are claiming otherwise.

Online Main Event Not a $10k Main Event

If you pay careful attention to the language used by Ty Stewart and the WSOP when they announced the 2020 WSOP Main Event. They point out the buy-in and structure as well as the history when discussing the event. It’s well known that the Main Event has been $10,000 for almost the entire history of the tournament.

When Stoyan Mandanzhiev was arguing his point with Negreanu, Negreanu even pointed out the nature of the $10k buy-in. Ultimately, the argument is that because the Online Main Event was a $5k event, it was not the championship event.

Of course, we cannot overlook that the Online Main Event was the largest first-place poker prize in online poker tournament history. Granted, this came from a field of just 5,802 players putting up $5,000 each.

Unpopular Opinion – The 2020 WSOP Main Event Will Be Smaller Than Online

It is very difficult to see the 2020 WSOP Main Event eclipsing the field of the Online Main Event. Even with the event being run in both the United States and at GGPoker, it is still not the same as holding the event at the Rio in Las Vegas.

I see the field size being somewhere in the 4,500 player range, which will make it the smallest Main Event field in the last 10+ years. If this were to happen, then it will be even tougher to claim that the winner is the Main Event Champion.

The 2020 WSOP Main Event Not Necessary – Stoyan Mandanzhiev is the World Champion

I stand with those that believe that Stoyan Mandanzhiev is the World Champion of Poker in 2020. The WSOP was forced to hold most of their events online and the winner of the Online Main Event should be the champion. The 2020 WSOP Main Event is not preserving history as it will still be held online up to the final tables and the heads-up finale. It is no more than a money and exposure grab for the WSOP.

Even worse, there’s a good chance that the event will be forced to stay online due to increasing coronavirus restrictions. As such, there will be nothing historic about this event. Instead, it will be just another online poker tournament giving out a bracelet but with a different format.

Stoyan Mandazhiev won a record-setting WSOP Online Main Event. He is the World Champion of Poker in 2020.

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